Surgical Strikes Commander To Head Congress Panel On National Security

Hack:

Lt Gen (Retd) DS Hooda, a former Northern Army commander and the main architect of the 2016 surgical strikes on terror launch pads in PoK, will head a Congress task force on national security

Congress sources said party president Rahul Gandhi met Hooda and discussed the modalities of the panel

Speaking to a media publication, Lt Gen (Retd) DS Hooda said Rahul Gandhi was very keen which is why the Congress president had asked him to lead the national security committee and prepare a report within a month

Lt Gen (Retd) DS Hooda, a former Northern Army commander and the main architect of the 2016 surgical strikes on terror launch pads in PoK, will head a Congress task force on national security.

Congress sources said party president Rahul Gandhi met Lt Gen (Retd) Hooda and discussed the modalities of the panel. "The Congress president is setting up a 'task force on national security' to prepare a vision paper for the country," a party source said.

Congress President @RahulGandhi met with Lt Gen DS Hooda (retd) to institute a task force on National Security which will prepare a vision paper for the country. Gen Hooda will lead the task force & work with a select group of experts. pic.twitter.com/06zfIjfbeJ

The source also said that Hooda will lead the panel and prepare the paper in consultation with a select group of experts.

Hailing the step, Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi tweeted, "Yet another positive and welcome step towards a strong nation and stronger national security by Congress President @RahulGandhi. The experience that Lt Gen (Retd) DS Hooda brings in, will benefit the nation in the long run." In another tweet, she said, "The only thing they will find is Surgical Strike and How's the josh?!"

The Congress has been accusing the Modi government of politicising the surgical strikes.

Speaking to a media publication, Lt Gen (Retd) DS Hooda said Rahul Gandhi was very keen which is why the Congress president had asked him to lead the national security committee and prepare a report within a month.

He also said that the report aims to guide India's national security policy in the coming five years. Ha added that once the report is out it available for people to see and will be up for discussions, so that the report can be refined.

On September 29, 2016, the Army had carried out the strikes on seven terrorist launch pads across the Line of Control (LoC) in retaliation to an attack on its base in Uri earlier that month.